Railroad-crossing.



J. MATULAITJS. RAILROAD CROSSING.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3. 1918.

1,275,584, Patentedmg.,13,191s.

"jj 5y f7 7- roe/wry UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEErcE.

faoNns MATULAITIS, or scRANToN, rEnuvsxnvnivrn.V

. Application filed May 3, 1918. Serial No. 232,331.

T 0 all whom @'15 may Concern.'

Be it known that I, JONAS MATULArrrs, a citizen of Russia, residing at Scranton, county of Lackawanna, andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Crossings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in railroad crossing signals, and has as its special object the provision of means whereby an advancing car may operate a signal or gate, interrupting the traffic across a road intersecting with the railway track.

A further object is to provide means which, upon the depression of a plunger, make contact with a track side device, to operate the gates in to a closed position, and, after the car has passed, to release the gates.

A still further object is to provide means which automatically actuates the gate operating means in a novel manner.

These and other like objects are attained by the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a material part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view showing a. section of railway track and road crossing, indicating the application of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, the section being taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 4, of the gate operating means drawn to an enlarged scale.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken through the column and casing extension, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

In the drawings the railway track, indicated by the numeral 10, has arranged contiguous to it, a covered casing 11 extending across the roadway 12, the casing having a laterally extending portion 14, terminating in 'a hollow post or column 15, in which is pivoted at its upper end, a gate arm 16 adapted to be extended horizontally, as shown in Fig. 2, or dropped alongside the column as shown in the broken lines in the lever having an arm 22, its lower end being.

Specification of Letters Patent.

RAILROAD-CROSSING.

Patented Aug".v 13,

engaged within a loop 24 of the-cable. 25',

extending lengthwise withinV the casing and over pulleys 26 and 26 and then through the extension 14 to the pulley 28, fixed upon vthe pivot 29 of the gate arm or lever 16.

Another cable 30 passes over the corresponding pulley 31 at the opposite Vend of the casing 11, over the end pulley 33, and then connects with the arm 35 of another lever, having an upstanding arm 36 pivoted in the bracket 21, both Vof the levers 22 and 36 being extended angularly in the vsaine direction.

Carried by the car, and indicatedby the numeral 40, is 'a bracket 41through which freely passes a plunger 42 held normally upward by a coiled compression spring 43, the same pressing against a fixed collar 44 secured to the plunger, which is further provided with an operating head. 45. Upon the depression of the plunger head 45, which extends through the bottom of the car, it is causedto'make contact with the levers 22 or 36, depressing the same, and'conveying motion t'o the cables by which the arm 16 is operated. n

In order to return the gate arms to their normal position, use is made ofcounterweights 48 guided by rollers 50, rotatably mounted within openings formed'through the walls of a rectangular frame 53, the rollers 50 being Iarranged in pairs upon each of the four sides thereof, one pair being above the other, the counterweight being connected to the free end of the cable 25, while the rollers 50 make cont-act with the internal walls of its supporting column 15.

In order to prevent over operation of the cable and gate arm, a pin 49 is set in the side of the counter-weight 48, the pin operating in a slot 52, formed longitudinally in the frame 53, as best shown in Fig. 5. To prevent movement of the gate arms 16 during the passage of the car between the brackets 20 andr 21, friction blocks 54 are engaged upon the cables 25 and 30 respectively, the same passing over bent flatsprings 55, rigidly secured in the casing so as to hold the Vblocks 'against inadvertent movement.

In operation, by placing the foot upon the plunger 45, so that Contact is made with the extended lever element 22, the cable 25 is drawn taut, extending the gate arm 16 so as to prevent passage along the roadway 12; when the car has advanced so that the plunger 42 makes Contact With the lever 36, the vided with a longitudinal slot secured therecable 30 is drawn so as to depress the gate in, rollers rotatably engaged in the Walls of arm 16, which has been held in an extended said easing, a eounterweight block slidable position due to the counterweight 48 and Within said casing, contacting with said l5 5 the blocks 54%. rollers, and a pin on said counterweight Having thus described my invention what block extending into said longitudinal slot I claim as new and desire to secure by Letwhereby the motion of said block is limited. ters Patent, is. In testimony whereof I have aiixed my The combination of la pivoted gate, a oounsignature. 10 yterweight operator therefor, including a hollow rectangular column, a guide casing pro- JONAS MATULAITIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

